A fortnight after being denied Papal audience on grounds that it could severely strain the Vatican’s fragile ties with China, the Dalai Lama on Wednesday urged greater cooperation on behalf of the world’s democracies with the communist nation.
Stating that barriers between nations ought to be torn down, the exiled spiritual leader said India and China “could not do without each other.”
“Partnership ties between India and China should be strengthened. The two nations must realize they are interdependent,” he said, while give a public talk on ‘Secular Ethics’ organized by the city’s Chanakya Mandal Pariwar here.
Days after he was denied audience by Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, in interviews and statements to the foreign press, had batted for Chinese President Xi Jinping remarking that hardliners within the Chinese Communist Party were holding the President back from granting autonomy to Tibet.
The Dalai Lama however skirted any specific references to Tibet’s autonomy in his address, merely saying that he was “a humble individual.”
“I am not as important a person as is made out to be,” he said, urging for greater tolerance and harmony among nations in an age of turmoil.
The Dalai Lama will give another public talk in Nashik district on January 3 organized by Indo-Tibetan Mangal Maitri Sangh.
